SEC-450 Assignment Explanations & Samples
The assignments aren’t always
easy to understand so I created this page with explanations and samples. As a reminder, please refer to rubrics before
beginning your assignment, as all assignments are graded using the
rubrics. If I haven’t addressed your question or concerns here, please
call or send me a message Thanks!
Week 1: Curriculum
Development Models
Our first assignment will be centered around curriculum
Designs of Subject-Centered, Learner-Centered and Problem-Centered. The most effective instructors plan their instruction
following these curriculum designs that are grounded in evidence-based learning
theories. There are many types of curriculum approaches, but they fall into
three main types: subject-centered, learner-centered, and problem-centered.
Write an essay of 750-1,000
words comparing and contrasting the three major
curriculum development models: subject-centered, learner-centered, and
problem-centered. Include the following:
·
Explanation of key
characteristics of each model and how each model is related to learning
theory.
·
Explanation of how each
model can be used to meet the diverse needs of gifted students, ELLs, and
students with IEPs and 504 plans.
·
Explanation of how
technology can be utilized within each model to enhance instruction to improve
student outcomes.
Unfortunately, there are no simple answers to questions of
learning and student engagement. Therefore, curriculum, instruction and
learning has been researched over the past 150 years or so. Our goal for this
assignment is not necessarily to identify the “best” theory rather understand
how the approaches differ. Because
teachers need to be curriculum designers and developers to directly benefit
student learning as well as their own professional development. Understanding
the models of subject- centered,
learner-centered and problem-centered help teachers to answer questions that
you should have in mind as you go throughout this course.
Support your essay with 2-3
scholarly resources.
Prepare this assignment according to the
guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located on the Student Success Center.
Please review the resources on the Announcements in our class and review these sites: Purdue OWL or APA
Helpful websites
·
Curriculum Design: Definition, Purpose and Types
·
Curriculum Development and the 3 Models Explained
I think this sample paper will help
guide you – Week 1 Sample
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Week 2: Planning
Assessments
You have two assignments due this week. The first one is Clinical Field Experience A,
that asks you to spend 3 hours observing and discussing with your mentor on his/her
delivery, assessments and student data. Be sure to discuss a possible topic and
what your mentor expects for a pre-test as that will be helpful for future
assignments.
Write a reflection of 250-500 words that
addresses the following:
·
Provide an example of
one product and one performance that enables students to demonstrate their
knowledge and skills in your content area.
·
Describe an
ethical consideration regarding the use of assessment data to identify
student strengths and needs.
·
How will you apply what
you have observed to future professional practice?
HINT: Week 5 requires a 3-day unit plan. The first lesson plan should include a pre-test. In addition, every daily lesson plan should include 2-3 formative assessments.
The
second assignment should be fun as you will create a blog post for other
teachers. There's a great online community of educators sharing
their expertise in writing, and the topics that get covered offer insights into
just about everything, including practice, policy, education technology, and much
more. Right now, is the time to join that conversation by starting a blog of
your own which will be a great way to network with other teachers in
your content area, grade level and/or focus (i.e., technology, assessments). I
found these sites to get you started:
Teachthought: We Grow Teachers
This
site will help you get started on creating your personal blog – Teaching Blog Traffic School
Edublogs - A great network of teacher blogs, this may be a great place to start!
Teach
Junkie – I did a search on assessments and got several
ideas. Maybe a little elementary, however, you can choose specific grade level
and do your own search.
I thought this was a good blog on assessments -
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller
Notice
the blog from the link above, it is not necessarily written in academic essay
format. Of course, proper writing never goes out of style and flow of thoughts
is always helpful for your readers. I would like to see some creativity such as
including pictures and/or hyperlinks within your paragraphs as your blog should
be interesting to a large audience of teachers, not just me. I do need to see
the following as your blog will be graded from the rubric:
·
500-750 words blog post for
teachers in which you provide creative suggestions for assessment strategies
and use of data in your content area.
·
Describe
the different uses of formative and summative assessment methods in your
content area.
·
Provide
two creative assessment strategies for your content area that allow students to
demonstrate their knowledge and skills in multiple ways.
· Provide a brief explanation on how teachers can determine student mastery of content in your area using the described assessment strategies.
I think this sample blog will help guide you – Sample Week 2
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 3: Using Bloom’s
Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
Two assignments are due this week. The first assignment is
Clinical Field Experience B where focus on how a teacher administer various
assessments. While conducting the assessments during the delivery of a lesson
seamlessly takes a lot of practice. Usually I find that mentor teachers make
the transition look so easy. Until you actually do it,
don’t assume this process is easy. Furthermore, it isn’t easy coming up with
various assessments rather than “observation” or “discussion”.
During your 4 hours with your mentor
be sure to identify a group of 3-5 students in the class who need additional
support. If possible, discuss students who have an IEP or 504 Plan. If there
are no students with IEPs or 504 plans, ask how they adhere to the goals on the
IEP or 504 documents. After your 4-hour observation time, write 250-300 words
reflecting on the following:
·
How assessments align to learning
objectives
·
How assessments are utilized to measure
proficiency within your content area
·
Ways in which your mentor
accommodates and modifies assessments for the needs of individual students in
the classroom including the students on IEPs or 504 Plans
HINT: If possible, seek out the special education teacher
on campus as they have several strategies for you to use in the future. Believe
me they generally have great ideas to build up your toolbox.
The 2nd assignment is creating a presentation of
your 2-3 standards identified in your observation B, measurable objectives and
questions using Depth of Knowledge (DOK) techniques. I highly recommend
everyone take your time on this assignment because much of what you are doing
with this assignment will be needed for your week 5 and 7 assignment.
For your standards, please include the number and verbiage
so I can ensure alignment with your measurable objectives. This assignment will
provide additional practice for you to demonstrate higher order thinking skills
from your measurable objectives. Please review the highlighted Bloom’s Verbs below and notice how they increase from knowledge
to synthesis level.
HINT: These standards and objectives will be used for your
week 5 mini unit plan.
EXAMPLE ARIZONA
STANDARD
11-12.RL.10- By the end
of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poetry, in a text complexity range determined by
qualitative measures appropriate to grade 12.
OBJECTIVE 1 - Students
will chose one of four 18th century poems and re-create a modern-day
version of the poem following the 6-point rubric to identify
the theme in the poem and further the theme.
OBJECTIVE 2 - Students
will analyze “Oh
Captain My Captain” by using the provided chart to list the poetic devices of apostrophe,
repetition, word choice and extended metaphor that Whitman uses to create an
effect with at least 5 out of 8 specific examples from the poem.
OBJECTIVE 3 - Students
will work in pairs to create
a short media version of Romeo and Juliet play using PowerPoint, vimeo, Prezi, or storyboard and present to class who will
conduct a peer review from the 6-point rubric.
Using the 2-3 standards identified
in Clinical Field Experience B, include the following on your 8-10 slide
presentation:
·
How to incorporate technology to
promote higher-order and critical thinking skills
·
Two sample measurable objectives,
using Bloom’s verbs, that are aligned to your chosen standards.
·
At least 3-5 sample questions using
DOK higher-order questioning techniques
·
An assessment method or tool that
demonstrates proper alignment of the measurable objectives with
assessments
·
Title slide, presenter notes, and
reference slide
Use the GCU Library to research 2-3
peer-reviewed articles that can be used in support of your content. APA format is not required for this assignment;
however, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and
references should be presented using APA guidelines
I think this sample
assignment will help guide you Week 3 Sample
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 4: Multiple Ways of Knowledge Demonstration
For Clinical Field
Experience C please be sure to respond to my
feedback from your previous reflections. Allocate at least 4 hours to observe and coordinate
with your mentor on assessment data on your identified group of students,
including any accommodations required.
Based on your observations and gathered data, write 250-500 words
describing the students including their strengths and needs and appropriate
methods to address their needs.
To protect students’
identities, please use pseudo names. It is also important to know that you
should never put names of specific students on your lesson plans when you have
your own class.
DOUBLE
CHECK – Keep track of your observation hours for Verification Form. You will
need the form to submit in week 8. You don’t
want to get caught without this form at the end of this class.
The 2nd
assignment relates to various assessments and differentiating your classroom.
Differentiation is for ALL students not just special groups. The whole idea is
to provide students’ multiple ways to demonstrate their knowledge (product or
performance) which will provide authentic assessment results. Be sure to watch
the videos in LoudCloud path>topic 4>study materials before
reflecting on assessments.
Reflect
on your video choice by writing a 500-750 words to include the following:
·
Brief reaction to the video of your
choice.
·
Describe two ways students can
demonstrate their knowledge and skills through a variety of products and
performances in your content area.
·
One specific example of how a
teacher can assess and provide feedback on one of the described products or
performances.
·
A brief rationale that justifies how
this method of assessment is effective and how the data from the assessment can
be used ethically to identify student strengths and needs.
·
Brief explanation of how information
from the assessment can be used to guide instructional decisions.
Use
2-3 scholarly resources to support your summary. Prepare
this assignment according to APA Style formatting and guidelines.
Check
out this site to see how to cite a video following APA should be done https://apaformat.org/apa-video-citation/
Author. (Date). Title of Video [Format]. Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
REMINDER:
How is your week 5 and 7 assignments going?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 5: Unit Plan
This is the week to compile your 3-day mini unit. Using the COE “3-Day Unit Plan Template,” your chosen 2-3 standards identified in
Clinical Field Experience B, align with measurable objectives, assessment
strategies, instructional methods, and student needs. Don’t forget your
pre-test and one formative assessment per lesson that will help you determine
the learning needs of your students.
Pay particular
attention to the following:
·
In
the “Depth of Knowledge” (DOK) section: Include higher-order thinking strategies,
problem solving techniques, and encouragement of active participation. Similar to your objectives, it is essential to use
the proper Bloom’s verbs for your DOK questions. This
site may help you get more practice https://iowacore.gov/content/depth-knowledge-levels-descriptions-reading-and-writing
·
In
the “Multiple Means of Engagement” section: Include the use of technology to
allow students to become active participants in their learning and in assessing
their progress.
·
In
the “Multiple Means of Expression” section: Demonstrate the alignment of
instruction and assessments.
APA format is not required, but
solid academic writing is expected.
This assignment uses a rubric.
Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar
with the expectations for successful completion.
HINT: Be sure to include a pre-test and a summative assessment
and a standards-based rubric. A rubric ensures alignment, provides additional
data and avoids assessment bias.
This is a sample unit
plan to help guide you Sample Week 5
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 6: Differentiating Instruction and Assessment
Differentiating instruction and assessment
takes time and careful consideration. Meeting the needs of all students is
difficult, reflecting on your unit plan will help you take the necessary time
to review student needs and differentiate accordingly.
Using your unit plan from week 5, review
your unit plan based on discussions with your mentor teacher, student
observations, and feedback from your instructor and write a narrative of
500-750 words and include:
·
Resources and materials to address
the specific areas in which students need additional support (if allowed, refer
to the students’ IEP and/or 504 Plan information).
·
Differentiation strategies for
instruction to meet the needs of diverse students based on data.
·
Differentiation strategies for assessments in the unit plan to address students’ needs.
·
Three strategies to extend the
students’ learning from the three models of subject, learner and problem
centered from week 1.
Be sure to check out our class
website sources to get a plethora of differentiated strategies. My teacher
webpage also has sections on instructional and assessment strategies you may
find interesting http://www.scbraves.org/teacher.htm
Use 2-3 scholarly resources to
support your claims. Prepare this assignment according to APA guidelines.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 7: Benchmark – Data-Driven Instructional Methods for Middle and Secondary
Teachers
Analyzing student and test data is
the focus of this class as data helps a teacher understand areas in needs of
improvement or areas of enrichment. In other words, data drives instruction for
student outcomes.
Part 1
Using the COE
Lesson Plan Template, take one of your lessons from
your week 5 unit plan. I encourage you to pay particular
attention to my feedback. The rubric emphasizes the following:
·
In the Resources, Materials, and
Technology section: Include technology-based instructional resources and tools
that are comprehensive, accurate, and relevant to the content area to enhance
student learning.
·
In the “Multiple Means of
Engagement” section: Consider students’ individual strengths, interests, and
needs based on assessment data you have analyzed during this course. Include
strategies that foster an environment in which students take ownership of their
learning goals.
·
In the “Multiple Means of
Expression” section: Explain how you would provide feedback to students from
this lesson.
Part 2
Below
the lesson plan, write a rationale in 250-500 words explaining how you would
collaborate with colleagues and other professionals to design and deliver this
lesson (e.g., how the media specialist’s expertise could be used to enhance the
learning experience for students during this).
While
APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic
writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented
using APA guidelines. In addition, please type double spaced, Times New Roman
12 pitch font.
This
sample assignment for week 7 earned a perfect score
Sample Week
7
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 8: Using Assessment Data to Meet the Needs of Diverse Students
This
week you will have two assignments of observation D where you will actually teach a lesson and write an essay from an article.
You
are asked to deliver the lesson plan created for week 7 or a lesson of your
mentor’s choosing to the whole class or a small group of students. At the end
of your lesson, ask students to complete an “exit ticket” that includes an
open-ended question of your choice about what they learned from the lesson.
Following
the lesson, discuss with you mentor teacher how you can improve your lesson
delivery and review the exit tickets. Reflect on the experience can improve
your practice. All teachers can develop habits of
reflection. Observation
D - Write a summary of 250-500 words reflecting on lesson delivery and personal
reflection.
·
How
do you feel about the lesson you delivered?
·
What
was successful? How do you know?
·
What
did you learn about yourself as an educator?
·
How
will you use this experience in your future professional practice?
Mentor Feedback
·
What
feedback, advice, and suggestions did your mentor teacher provide regarding the
effectiveness of your instruction?
Student Feedback
·
Based
on student responses in the exit tickets, how will you adjust your
instructional strategies in the future?
APA
format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
Submit the Clinical Field Experience
Verification Form to the LMS in the last topic. If the verification form is not
submitted, you will lose 60 points.
The 2nd assignment ask
you to read “Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students Case Study” located under
the path>topic 8>study materials. You are asked to write 500-750
words addressing the questions below:
·
How can you integrate
creativity into your content to deepen learning, enrich concepts, make the
concepts more interesting, strengthen problem-solving, encourage risk-taking,
and build connections between concepts?
·
How can you use this
case study to improve your future professional practice, including using formal
and informal assessment processes to guide instructional planning and
adjust instruction to meet the needs of diverse students?
·
How can you provide
feedback to students that will motivate and engage them more fully in their
academic development?
·
How would you use data
from formal and informal assessments to modify instruction?
·
How would you approach
the student from the case study to address his concerns with the class?
Support your assignment with 2-3 scholarly resources. While APA format is not
required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected,
and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA guidelines.
Reminder: According to GCU policy, work may
not be submitted for credit once the class has ended. This means that
assignments cannot be submitted beyond the last day of the final week.
There are no exceptions for this; the classroom system simply won't allow
you to submit your assignments late. You must have all assignments
submitted by Sunday night (11:59PM Arizona Time)!
It is my suggestion that you work hard to get these
assignments completed early. Be ready to upload on Saturday night just in
case something happens like the Internet goes out, computer crashes, dog eats
your homework, toddler spills your coffee on your laptop (yes that happened to
me).
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Updated 6/20/2020
Email
Address: Cindy.Barnes@my.gcu.edu
Phone Number: (480)
685-0116
Postal Address: Grand
Canyon University